NHL players team up with Minnesota Special Hockey for Unified Showcase

EDINA, Minn. -- Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker skated toward the net with his nephew, 13-year-old Caden Hronski, seated in front of him. Hroski received a tape-to-tape pass from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt and scored, much to the delight of his teammates and the crowd.
"I don't think he realized [he scored] until people crowded around for him," said Zucker, whose nephew has nonverbal Down Syndrome. "It was really special to be a part of that for him.

"I hadn't been on the ice with him before, so that was a first time for me. We had a lot of fun. He scored a goal and I think he got an assist too. His stat sheet was better than mine today, so that was good."
Zucker was one of 12 NHL players to play in a Unified Showcase game alongside 12 members of Minnesota Special Hockey on Monday between playoff games in Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 summer league featuring players with connections to Minnesota.
Cheers weren't the loudest for players like Zucker, Wild forward Zach Parise, Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser, Golden Knights forward Erik Haula or Dallas Stars forward Tyler Pitlick, who all participated in the special intermission game. Instead, it was Minnesota Special Hockey team members who garnered the most praise and excitement.
"I feel like [the crowd] got into it right away," Parise said. "It was great. A lot of happy kids out there, so that's awesome."
Players lined the on-ice entrance with their sticks up in salute while the special team members dispersed into Team White and Team Green. The game, which ended in a 7-7 tie, saw each Minnesota Special Hockey player score, a feat as exciting for those NHL players connected to special hockey as it was for the special hockey players themselves.

"That was pretty cool," said New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy, whose step-cousin, Robert Kirchoff, scored two goals. "You look at giving back to the community, getting a chance to play with those guys and being lucky enough to play with them is special enough."
Boeser's sister, Jessica, and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner's brother-in-law, Sam Cashin, also participated.
Minnesota Special Hockey, which partnered with the Wild last season, is home to more than 200 players and 14 teams, comprised of all ages, spanning across the state. The season opens the first week of November and runs until the first week of March, with tournaments and festivals in between hour-long games and practices.
"We play in the same season, so it makes it hard to get out there together," Gardiner said. "That's why it's so great to have this game to all come together and play."
In addition to the Unified Showcase, Zucker, a finalist last season for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community), and his wife, Carly, hosted a stick drive. More than 100 sticks were donated to be used as part of a hockey stick installation on the roof in the Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio and the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

Nick and Sam Ferch of Waseca, Minnesota, donated two Easton and one Bauer sticks from when they were kids.
"They've just been sitting in the garage this whole time," Sam, 24, said. "It's a cool cause to be a part of."
Zucker said he is working out logistics to continue accepting donated sticks through his Sept. 8 deadline.
"That's been the goal from Day One, is just have everybody involved and make it a whole community room," Zucker said. "This was just a really great and fun night."